Door checking and holding device



NOV 9, 1954 H. F. cRoMwELl. Erm. 2,693,616

DOOR CHECKING HOLDING DEVICE Filed Nov. e. 1951 HF. CROMWELL 5. J. GALL/l INVENTOR. 56'

ATTORNEYS United States Patent `C DR CHECKING HOLDING DEVICE Herbert F. lCromwell and Stephen d. vGalia, Detroit, Il/ich., assignors 'to Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Appiicntion November L'6, 195'1, "Serial No. '255,091

-3 Claims. I(Clt 16--853 This vinvention relatesgen'erally to door `checking and holding devices :for 'motor vehicle doors.

41t is an :object of the presentinvention to vprovide -a door checking and vholding device which is `jinositive :in operation and inexpensive vto manufacture, and which utilizes a one-piece check arm cooperating with rollers mounted within the door to perform :the fn 'rctions of checking 'and holding :the door. .Another 'o cot of the invention .is to obtain a cushioned `checking action without the necessity of providing .a rubber bumper or other yieldable means `on the `check arm or the supporting bracket.

The 'door checking and hold-ing device 'of the present invention comprises an arm pivotally connected to `the door pillar and `extending through an opening 'the jamb face of the door. rIl'he arm is vfori-ned Sin `one piece and Ais provided adjacent its .free end with an lintegral :inclined retaining portion and 'at rits extreme end vbeyond said retaining portion with an integral hook-shaped end portion .having an :inclined 'checking ramp. A bracket is mounted within the door and pivotally supports a. roller arranged to engage one y'edge of the arm. .A p'arr .of straps are secured to 'the rbracket and slida'bly and pivotally support a second .roller engagearb'le with the opposite edge of the check arm. The .straps also .support a coil spring r'arranged to urge 'the last-:mentioned roller 'toward the check arm. The inclined .retaining 'portion of the check arm engages one of Vthe 'rollers when the door is open to yieldably retain the door in open position, while the checking ramp serves to 'cushion the opening movement of the door. yThe hook portion of the arm forms positive stop limiting the opening movement of the oor.

Other objects and advantages of this *invention -be made more apparent as this vdescription proceeds, par ticul'arly when considered in connection with the 'dra-wing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view through a portion of a vehicle door and the adjacent door pillar, showing the door checking and holding mechanism of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the door in its open position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

The reference character indicates a motor vehicle door hinged to the adjacent body pillar 12l for pivotal movement about a hinge axis 14. Conventional hinge means can be used and are not shown in this drawing. The wall 16 of the pillar adjacent the jamb face 18 of the door is depressed and is provided with an opening through which extends a U-shaped bracket 20 having legs 22 suitably secured to the pillar wall 16. The bracket 20 also extends through an opening 24 in the jamb face 18 of the door in the closed position of the latter as shown in Figure l.

A reinforcing member 26 is located within the door 10 and is secured to the inner panel 28 of the door and also to the jamb face 18. The reinforcing member is provided with an opening 30 in alignment with the opening 24 in the jamb face. Secured to the inner side of the reinforcing member 26 is a supporting bracket 32. The supporting bracket 32 is generally U-shaped having opposed side walls 34 and a connecting base 36. The supporting bracket is also provided with marginal anges 38 adapted to be secured to the reinforcing member 26 of the door. The two side walls 34 of the suplopposite sides thereof.

. bracket and :the adjacent fwasher at yall times.

ice

2 porting bracket, being .spaced from Icach (other, .form an @opening in alignmentwiththe opening 30 in thereinforcing member. y

Ahat one-piece checkarm 'd0-is pivotallyconnected byl means of la pin '42 to the .'bracket 20 carried fby the pillar lf2. The check anni entends through the opening30 in Ithe reinforcing membcrlz and between the side walls 34 of th'e :supporting bracket 32 carried by the door.

A pin '44 extends'b'etween the side walls 34 `of 'the supporting bracket 32..'and pivotally ,supports va rol-ler 46 .located between the bracket side walls. Theroller 46 :is arranged to engage 'one edge of the `'check arm 40. Also supported upon the .pin v44 area pair of dat straps 48 embracing'the .roller f4'6 and also the 'check arm 40. The straps 48 are located between theside wa1lsi34 of the supporting .bracket and projectoutwardly therefrom through a .slot 50 provided 'in the base 36 of the bracket.

Elongated slots 52 are formed'sin the 'straps 48 in alignment with each other fand receive 4stub 'axlesf54 formed integrally with .a Vsecond roller .'56 and projecting .from The :second roller 56 is arranged to engage the opposite edge of the 'check arm di). fit will be apparent that the 'slots 52 :'rn the .straps permit movemeint of the second roller 56 toward 'and away from the check arm-and also rotation of the roller and its `integral axles 54.

A llat washer 58 is lslidablymountedupon the straps 48, being provided 'with a rectangularopening for ireceiving the straps. I'One side of the .dat washer forms a .bearing surface for the axles .54ct .the roller :56. A second flat washer '60 is slidably mounted upon 'the straps 48 'adjacent their free v"ends, being retained thereon by means of 'a cotte'r pin 62. .located between thewashers 58 and 60 and encircling the straps 48 `.is VVa fcoil spring 64. The spring .is assembled lunder compression so as to constantly 'exert a. force Vurging the roller 56 into engfagemen't with the adjacent edge of `the check di).

Although the 1straps 48 lare pivotally connected to the bracket by means of the fpin 44, 'they lare :retained against swinging movement by their passage through the slot Sil in the Vbase 36 of the bracket. The 'arrangement provides 'an economical means .for attachment of the straps to the bracket without the` necessity `ofprovidin'g additional fpa'rts, and addition providesth'e proper lateral support for the straps as well as enabling the strapsfto embrace and guide .the check arm. Y vIt will be noted :from Figures 11 and 2 that the p'arts are designed .so vJas'to leave a 'clearance lspace between' lthe base A316 of the supporting in 'addition, the side walls 34 of the bracket are provided with semi-spherical cut away portions 66 connecting with the slot 50 in the base 36 to provide clearance for the axles 54 of the roller 56 in their movement toward and away from the check arms.

Reference is now made particularly to Figure l and to the construction of the check arm 40. As previously mentioned, the inner end of the check arm is pivotally connected at 42 to the pillar bracket 20. The check arm is of uniform width for a short distance immediately adjacent this pivotal connection and then progressively and gradually increases in width to a maximum at an intermediate zone A. Continuing toward the outer end of the check arm, the latter progressively and gradually decreases to a minimum width at ZoneA B, and thereafter more rapidly increases in width to a zone C. The aforesaid variations in the width of the check arm are obtained by providing a contoured edge engageable with the roller 56, the opposite edge engageable with the roller 46 being straight throughout the above-described portion of the check arm.

Beyond the zone C the edge of the check arm in engagement with the xed roller 56 is formed with a depressed inclined retaining portion 68 for cooperation with the roller 46 in holding the door in its fully open position. The angle of the retaining portion 68 is predetermined so as to provide the necessary resistance to closing movement of the door to hold the latter open against inadvertent closing yet to permit the door to be readily closed when desired. The retaining portion of the check arm results in decreasing the overall width of the arm from the zone C to the zone D with the width D corresponding generally to the minimum width B. Beyond the zone D the arm is formed with a hookshaped end portion 70 having a sharply inclined rampV 72 and a return bent terminal end or stop portion 74. The check arm increases in width rather sharply from the zone D to the zone E by reason of the ramp 72 to provide a cushioned checking action for the door. the event the door is opened with such force as to cause the roller 46 to continue past the bottom of the retaining portion 68 (zone D) the sharply inclined ramp 72 causes the rollers to be spread apart against the action of the spring 64. Overriding movement is thus cushioned with increasing resistance. The return. bent hook-shaped terminal end 74 of the checkl arm 40 forms a stop for the roller 56 and effectively prevents further opening movement of the door should the door be opened with such force as to cause the roller to reach this point.

`The portion of the check arm 40 between the zones A and B forms a gradually inclined ramp assisting opening movement of the door and tending to counterbalance the natural tendency of the door to swing closed due to the fact that the hinge axis 14 of the door is inclined with respect to the -vertical in an inward and upward direction as is conventional in modern vehicle body construction. The portion of the check arm40 between the zones B and C increases in Width to provide some checking action prior to engagement of the roller 46 with the retaining portion 68 of the arm. The portion of the check arm between the zone A and its pivotal mounting 42 gradually decreases in width so as toassist the final closing movement of the door to partially compensate for the resistance of the weather strip.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: i

1. In a motor vehicle body having a door structure and a door supporting structure, a check arm pivotally connected to one of said structures and extending into the other of said structures, a supporting bracket within said other structure and ixedly secured thereto, a roller pivotally mounted lupon said supporting bracket and engaging one edge of said check arm, a second roller mov' ably mounted upon'said supporting bracket and engageable with the opposite edge of said check arm, spring means associated with one of said rollers to maintain said roller in yieldable engagement with the adjacent edge of said check arm, said check arm comprising a at strap having an integral inclined `retaining portion at one edge near the free end of the strap for engagement with one of said rollers -to yieldably retain the door structure connected to one of said structures and extending into.v

the other of said structures, a supporting bracket within said other structure and tixedly secured thereto, a roller pivotally mounted upon vsaid supporting bracket and engaging one edge of said check arm, a second roller movably mounted upon said supporting bracket and engageable with the opposite edgeY of said check arm, and spring means associated with one of said rollers to maintain said roller in yieldable engagement with the adjacent edge of said check arm, said check arm comprising a at strap having one edge relatively straight for the major portion of its length, said last-mentioned edge having a recessed reetaining portion inclined toward the free. end of said checkarm for engagement with one of said rollers to releasably hold the door structure in open position, said check arm having an integral projecting portion at the free end of said check arm beyond said retaining portion provided with a checking ramp inclined toward the free end of said check arm and engageable with said last mentioned roller to cushion the nal opening movement of said door structure, and said integral projecting portion of the check arm terminating in a return bent hook-shaped projection limiting the opening movement of the door structure.

3. The structure dened by claim l which is furthercharacterized in that said check arm increases in width from adjacent its pivotal connection to an intermediate zone between said pivotal connection and said retaining portion and then gradually and progressively decreases in `width to a minimum at a second intermediate zone be- References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSk Number Name Date 346,194 Coultaus July 27, 1886 2,032,600 Smith Mar. 3, 1936 2,313,582 Rees Mar. 9, 1943A 

